Who you just so happened to have sex with last night.
* * *
Spoiler: CYOA stats
Following this variation, which is V1 IIRC:
Name: Ellen Hebert
Type: Reincarnation
Difficulty: Hard (+3)
Power: Inspired Inventor (-2)
Companions: None
Perks: Inspiration (-1), First Impressions (-1), Cloak and Dagger (-1), Alternate Continuity (-1)
Complications: Marked (E88, ABB, Merchants) (+3)
* * *
Spoiler: Ellen's characteristics
Hair: Auburn, would be curly if let to grow but kept short and messy. ("You know, your hair would look good if you let it grow." "Two words, sister love. Grappling. Point.")
Defining feature: Freckles, mostly across the bridge of her nose. ("Mmmm, freckles~." "Uh, sis? You're drooling.")
Eyes: Green
Build: Wiry and thin, would be gawky but for her muscle tone ("That's right, bitches. I am a fine piece of work." "Oh, you're a piece of work alright.")
Height: 5'2" ("I'm only two inches shorter than you, Taylor, dammit!")
Bra: A, owns only sports bras ("We really don't take after mom much, do we sis?" "Shut up, Ellen. I'm still growing!")
Favorite color: Silver
Dressing style: Jeans, or jean shorts if it's hot enough, and tank tops. Lots of tank tops and 'muscle' shirts. Wears a black cotton turtleneck over the tank during winter with an additional hoodie over that if it's really cold. ("What's this 'style' thing you speak of?" "Dunno, I had to get Emma to go shopping with me to get anything 'stylish' and now she's a bitch." "Sophia's no better." "Shut it, Heberts. At least I own a dress." "Ooo~ Sophia in a dress." "With her legs? Mmm~" "Oh fuck, why can't I keep my mouth shut.")
More banter in the above. I had fun.
* * *
Spoiler: Taylor's trigger
Taylor's Trigger: Thinker/Shaker.
Two effects:
1: Within a ten foot radius she's essentially Panacea lite. Biocontrol restricted to humans and an inate understanding of how a particular person is injured and how to fix it with her powers. Does not give knowledge of the effects of how she fixes, that will require her to read some medical textbooks. (She'd know how to direct her power to heal a wound but not how her power is healing the wound)
2: Within a distance just over arms reach (around three feet) she has microfine control telekinesis but has very low ability to speed up objects. She can however slow down an object at nearly C per second and her ability to move objects within her range is very much an unstoppable force. Control is fine enough to be capable of peeling a sheet of paper into two thinner sheets or compress two pieces of steel until they weld together but while she can stop a bullet, she could only throw it a couple feet. She can sense anything that could/will enters this range and is almost always able to react to it.
Theoretically she could 'spin' an object in a torus around/above her until it reached near light speed.
* * *
I scrutinized the wet frying pan for an extra moment before concluding that it was properly clean and I set it into the drying rack in the second sink. A twist of the knob turned off the hot water and I ran the dish cloth around the surface of the washing sink to get any particulate before hanging it over the faucet neck to dry.
A quick glance around the counter confirmed that I hadn't missed any breakfast dishes and that the kettle of water that I'd put on to boil a few minutes earlier was merrily spitting water everywhere on account of its missing whistle.
"Tch," I clicked my tongue as I strode over to the stove, "Someday I've gotta replace that damn thing."
I flicked the burner off and pulled the kettle off the burner as I looked at the dining table.
"Oi, Miss head in the clouds! Could've told me the kettle was boiling."
Taylor visibly shook herself out of the thoughtful daze she'd been dwelling in, head resting on arms that were crossed on the table, ever since we'd finished breakfast and I'd started the dishes.
"Huh, Wha?" She oh so artfully said as she sat up and looked up at me.
I snagged tea bags from the boxes of such that were beside the stove and tossed each into the pair of mugs I'd put there earlier. Then I lifted the kettle up to eye level and shook it gently, faux-glowering at my sister.
"Kettle. Boiling. You could have told me." I said, making sure to speak as slowly and mockingly as I could.
Her eye twitched as she growled before wordlessly reaching up into he cloud of stuff. I smirked as I dodged the thrown bouncyball and poured water into each mug. Then I frowned at the kettle and sloshed the water left in it for a moment.
That was funny. I could have sworn I only filled it up enough for—
Oh. I filled it up for three people.
I fought away the trembling that tried to surge out from my chest into my arms and only just managed to avoid slamming the kettle down onto the stovetop.
I closed my eyes for a moment and gripped the countertop, letting my head hang slightly as I breathed and just let myself feel the cold ache work its way through my chest. Let the grief and the hurt and the anger and the sadness just wash over me like a cold shower. Then I took a deep breath and forced all the cold out of me as I breathed out.
It's not easy, to let yourself feel that kind of stuff without crying. Even less to push it out of the way like that.
But I've had a bit of practice.
I took a sharp breath and forced myself fully upright. Then I plastered a smile on my face and picked up the mugs of tea.
"Alright, one cuppa Taylor of Harrogate English Breakfast for you," I said as I turned and walked over to the dining table, "and one Earl Grey for me."
When I set the mugs on the table I noticed the frown on Taylor's face and winced. Then she stood up.
I'd started to ask her why when she pulled me to her and wrapped her arms around me.
"Wha? Uh. Um, you okay sis?" I hesitantly questioned.
"I miss him." she said, hugging me tighter and burying her head into my shoulder. "I know you do too."
I stared at the back of her head for a moment before sighing to hide the whimper that wanted to escape me chest. I leaned my head against hers and wrapped my arms around her waist.
"Yeah. Yeah, I do."
"It'll be okay, Y'know. Somehow." She muttered into my neck.
I had to snort in amusement.
"Look who's talking, miss practically-catatonic-for-a-week."
She flinched and I felt her started to pull away. I just tightened my grip.
"Hey, stop that. I understand, sis."
She hesitated for a moment then she nodded as she leaned back into the hug.
"Sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry for. He's...He's gone." I didn't hide the the crack in my voice, as much as I wanted to. "And we're hurt. And people deal with that hurt in different ways. We both know that."
She hummed for a moment then sighed.
"You know, wasn't I hugging you to try to make you feel better?" She asked, an exasperated annoyance in her voice.
I barked out a laugh and pulled out of the hug to put my hands on her shoulders and just look at her. She had a tired smile on her face but it was a tiny light in her eyes that had just been gone during the days since she came home that made my chest swell with happiness.
"I love you, Taylor. You know that, right?"
She snorted and rolled her eyes but her smile deepened a little.
"Yeah, I know. Love you too, Ellen."
And then, like the idiot that I am, I kissed her.
Mistress BEES
(Автор: Vague Wanderer)
Taylor awoke to a pinprick to the neck.
She looked around the room, noting the boxes scattered around the room. She tried to move, but couldn't— she was strapped down to a table.
"Who are you? Where am I? What do you want?"
"My name is irrelevant. We're currently in an old abandoned warehouse at the edge of the docks. As for what I want...that would be you. My trade is flesh, and you are my latest acquisition."
"What!" Realization set in. "No. I— I'm not even pretty. Let me go. Please, my family can pay-"
"Not enough. As for your appearance, well, I'm not exactly your average fleshtrader. I'm a tinker, you see. And I specialize in helping people get exactly what they want. So your beauty, or lack there of is completely irrelevant. I can turn you into anything from a blonde beach bunny to a raven haired amazon."
"Please, you don't want to do this."
He laughed. "Do this? It's already done. The injection that woke you will change you, and once Mr. Van Dorn here gives you the second," he waved an injector gun, "you'll imprint on him and become his loyal slave." He nodded towards the end of the room where a Caucasian man dressed in sharp suit stood waiting, his eyes focused on Taylor. "He was really quite interested in watching the process. Even paid extra for it. You should feel honored."
She could feel the serum bubbling inside her coursing through her veins, already beginning it's work. She could feel her bones and muscles begin to shift, her waist tightening as her breasts began to grow. "You made just one mistake."
"Oh, really? And what was that?"
"BEES." And with that, every insect in a three block radius fell out of the rafters and onto the Tinker and Van Dorn. Both screamed as insects bit and stung, sending them both to the floor. A few dozen roaches and spiders worked their way into the tinker's pocket, searching for a key ring, then carrying it back to their master.
Freed of her restraints, Taylor stood shakily, her balance thrown off by her new proportions. Her once flat chest was now graced by by a pair of C-cups, and they didn't appear to have completely stopped growing. Her once scrawny frame had been filled out with sleek, toned, muscle, and she had gained at least four inches in height.
She half stumbled, half crawled towards the injector gun, grabbing it before turning back to the tinker. He was curled up in the fetal position, mewling incoherently. She called her swarm off, and after a few seconds of hesitation, he uncurled himself slowly.
She rewarded him with a punch to the face, then rode his body to the ground and jabbed the injector into his neck.
There was a hiss as the injector discharged, then the Tinker opened his eyes and blinked, staring at Taylor. "Mistress?"
She smiled.
Fucking Kiss Already
(Автор: Jomasten)
Everyone in Winslow knew about it.
From the teachers, rolling their eyes, to the students, who were rolling their eyes, to even the wannabe bangers, who also were rolling their eyes. Even Greg Vader, school-designated creep, knew about it and he still tried to hit on them despite threat of bodily harm and restraining orders.
It's not a huge secret that Sophia Hess, star athlete and track star, was dating Taylor Hebert, peppy glasses-wearing girl. The two were such complete opposites, it still surprised new transfers to this day.
It's not that they were open about it; it was just that things would be less metaphorically painful for everyone if they were actually open about it.
It's because they liked to hide their relationship under the pretense of an extensive bullying campaign that began near the end of their middle school and into their freshman year of high school. They were Sophomores going into their Junior year, and the way Sophia would halfheartedly shove Taylor to the ground, only to just as quickly pick her up and dust her off under the context of shaking her down for money or valuables virtually made everyone groan in frustration at the wishy-washy couple. The way Sophia would have her hands around Taylor's shoulder, pretending to rough her up caused many teeth to be gnashed.
The suspense of 'will-they, won't-they' had gotten so bad, even the resident Nazis were making comments that they should just get it over with already, even though they saved face by layering it with as many slurs and insults as they possibly could put on it.
(Kaiser was still confused to this day why Rune, Fenja, and Menja would scream in frustration at something they were watching in their tinkerphones, only to quickly cover up their activities. Later, during Taylor and Sophia's senior year, Kaiser would join the three girls, as well as the rest of the E88 capes in celebrating when Taylor finally asks Sophia out to prom, and proceed to save face by layering as much slurs and racially derogatory terms into it, despite the fact Hookwolf was squealing on what dresses they were going to wear, and if it was going to coordinate. Then the Nazis would be reduced to gossipy teens as they giggle at such an adorable image.)
* * *
One day, Emma Barnes, best friend to both girls, had finally had enough.
During lunch, she watched as Sophia poured orange juice(actually orange-dyed water) on Taylor's head, only to surreptitiously grab a few napkins and begin to wipe her off, telling her that she's pathetic and too cute and she should stop being weak.
Emma slammed one hand on the table she was eating on as she stood up, furiously pointing at the shocked pair with the other.
"OH MY FUCKING GOD, YOU DORKS! JUST KISS ALREADY!"
The silence was so widespread, that even those outside of the cafeteria were still and quiet. Even the neighborhood around Winslow was quiet.
Eyes still wide, Taylor turned to Sophia, who did the same. Then she gave a sheepish smile, and leaned forward.
The windows of the cafeteria shook as the cheers of the school reverberated throughout that portion of the neighborhood. The shouts only increased in volume once Taylor dipped Sophia, who happily had her arms around Taylor.
Amidst the celebration, Emma only rolled her eyes, then sat back down with a huff. She then wrapped her arms around Madison's waist, pulling the petite girl close. Madison was just smiling affectionately at Emma, before turning her attention back to the pair, who was still kissing. Her smile widened when she rested her head on Emma's shoulder, and she was practically pulled into the red-haired girl's lap.
Stars and Shadows
(Автор: Jomasten)
Sophia caressed Taylor's, worry clear on her face. She blushed when Taylor nuzzled the palm of her hand.
